Juventus Chief Opens Up About Future of Cristiano Ronaldo After Champions League Fiasco

Juventus suffered a major defeat on Friday after failing to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, despite actually winning against Lyon. Juve's manager Maurizio Sarri was subsequently fired by the club on Saturday.
Sputnik

Chairman Andrea Agnelli addressed rumours about Cristiano Ronaldo's possible exit from Juventus, telling Sky Sport Italia on Friday that he is “convinced” that the 35-year-old footballer will stay with the club. His comments followed an earlier report by magazine France Football, which claimed that Ronaldo was mulling the possibility of a transfer to French champions Paris-Saint-Germain.

“I think the report was down to an interview from several months ago, which just happened to be published just before we played against a French team. It’s an old media trick”, Agnelli said.

“No, I can assure you that Ronaldo remains a pillar of Juventus”, the club’s chief added.

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The interview comes following Juve's 2:1 win over Lyon on Friday, which was not enough to help the Italian club reach the Champions League quarter-finals due to the away goals rule. Agnelli added that the club’s management will now “take a few days to evaluate everything” following the Champions League’s exit.

The Old Lady's elimination came as a shock to many, despite two goals from Ronaldo, sparking further speculation about the Portuguese striker's future within the club. On Saturday, it was announced that manager Maurizio Sarri has been sacked by the club despite signing a three year contract with the club last summer.

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